Yeah @cameron_hernandez69 I was doubtful too until our neighborhood planted 500 trees together last spring.

My first hand planing project looked like a beaver got to it, totally butchered the wood. You're right about the shoulder pain, Tessa, I had to switch hands halfway through and still messed up. But getting the blade set just right that one time and seeing a perfect curl come off, it clicked for me. The fight with the tool makes you learn the wood in a way sandpaper never will. It's absolutely a fussy, slow way to work, but now I save it for special small stuff where that connection matters.

From a baking group I'm in, someone shared how their puppy got into the starter jar. (Pets and sourdough don't mix, apparently.) @the_quinn, if she knew about the dog before bringing over a new one, that's pretty careless. But the big question is whether she checked at all. It takes two seconds to look, so why wouldn't you? That kind of oversight can ruin someone's baking project for no reason.